Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla Friday started a helpline at his residence cum office in the national capital and a camp office in Kota-Bundi parliamentary constituency to help Indian students stranded in Ukraine following invasion of the country by Russian armed forces.
“So far, more than 100 students and parents from 15 states have contacted this helpline. Many Indian students are stuck there due to the closure of airspace after the outbreak of war in Ukraine,” a note from the Lok Sabha Speaker’s office here stated.
The stranded Indian students can seek help through Indian embassy in Ukrain. The 24-hour helpline can be contacted on 011-23014011 and 23014022 in New Delhi and on 0744-2505555 and 9414037200 in Kota camp office, according to the Speaker’s office.
Till Friday night, students from Rajasthan, Bengal, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Haryana, Punjab and Bihar, etc. contacted the helpline. Information about students and their parents has been made available to the ministry of External Affairs. Students and parents were also being informed through WhatsApp and phone calls whatever information is being released from the ministry and the Indian embassy in Ukraine.
The students have also been told to maintain restraint and patience, take shelter in safe places till help arrives and help each other through the helpline.